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ELECTRONICSTALK
The Independent Weekly Product Information Guide
for Electronics Design, Development and Manufacturing Engineers
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ISSN 1475-2913 - Free subscription
Published every Tuesday from the UK.
Issue 133: 30 September 2003
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12897 product announcements and technical articles
on our web site, all fully searchable at
http://www.electronicstalk.com/ - take a look!
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In this issue:
* Editor's Message
* Our Top Ten new Products Selection
[1] Tiny SiGe transistors keep the noise down
[2] 5V-tolerant analogue switch aids USB flexibility
[3] Power injectors comply with IEEE802.3af
[4] PC-based tester exploits High-Speed USB link
[5] Gigabit Ethernet transceiver integrates four ports
[6] Budget route to C-based system-level design
[7] CompactPCI board hosts 32 million FPGA gates
[8] Audio amp IC pumps up the volume
[9] Budget entry to PCB CAD
[10] Adapters add flexibility to PC Card slots
* New Technical Articles and Case Studies
* ...And take a look at these stories too...
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Laurence Marchini, Editor, writes:
It's all too easy to pass judgement on politicians from a distance. Mind you, on those occasions that I have ventured to criticise certain US political figures for their high-tech ignorance, I have only ever received positive feedback.
So, for once, I feel I must give due credit to a supposedly discredited US politician who has had the nerve to push ahead with legislation that seems certain to polish off his already shaky career.
I refer to "doomed" California Governor Gray Davis, who has been using his temporary stay of execution to push through several contentious pieces of legislation. And the real "peach" among these is the Electronic Waste Recycling Act, which will apply a levy of between US $6 and $10 on every TV and computer monitor sold in the state to go towards end-of-life disposal costs.
Just for once, it seems, a US state will beat the EU to the punch on environmental legislation. The Californian act requires manufacturers to have recycling programmes in place by July 2004, compared with the EU Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment which requires member states to implement recycling programmes by 2006.
No doubt Davis' detractors will attempt to discredit the legislation on the grounds of financial non-viability (as they have his budget). So let's hope that (should Davis be recalled) the new incumbent will recognise the merits of the act.
Finally, as a postscript to last week's comments on spam, I omitted to remind everyone that if you do find yourself regularly receiving multiple copies of the Electronicstalk Newsletter you can easily remove the unwanted subscription by following the instructions at the foot of the newsletter.
I hope you find this issue of our weekly newsletter useful. In addition to the new products, news and ideas featured here, there are hundreds more on our website and dozens more being added daily, so do take a look if you can.
Alternatively, the full stories behind all the summaries and headlines in this newsletter can be retrieved by email alone: see details below.
In the meantime, if you have any suggestions as to how we might make the site or the newsletter better, email me directly.
Best wishes
Laurence Marchini, Editor
mailto:ne[-email removed-]nicstalk.com
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THIS WEEK'S INDUSTRY NEWS
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To read more, use the web links. Or get the full stories emailed back to you: just send a blank email to the address shown. It's a free service. Try it! It works!
RESEARCH TO FOCUS ON MILITARY SIGNAL PROCESSING
Nallatech has won a six-figure research contract from BAe Systems for the new Defence Technology Centre on Electromagnetic Remote Sensing.
Nallatech, 24 September 2003
mailto:nal1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/nal/nal113.html
QUEEN'S AWARD RECOGNISES INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS
TTPCom received the Queen's Award for Enterprise on Friday 19th September.
TTPCom, 25 September 2003
mailto:ttp1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ttp/ttp161.html
SPINOFF TO ADDRESS CONCEPTUAL SPECIFICATION
Giga Scale IC is a new company founded by J George Janac, who serves as Chairman, and Bill Sommer, who is its Chief Technology Officer.
InTime Software, 30 September 2003
mailto:iti1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/iti/iti109.html
NEW FOCUS FOR BOOKHAM
Bookham Technology has signed a definitive agreement to acquire New Focus, a leading provider of photonics and microwave solutions to non-telecomms diversified markets.
Bookham Technology, 24 September 2003
mailto:boo1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/boo/boo135.html
SOLID GROWTH FOR TEKTRONIX
Tektronix has reported net sales of $201.4 million and net earnings from continuing operations of $11.4 million or $0.13 per share, for the first quarter ended 30th August 2003.
Tektronix, 24 September 2003
mailto:tek1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tek/tek185.html
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OUR TOP TEN NEW PRODUCTS SELECTION
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1. Tiny SiGe transistors keep the noise down
Toshiba claims to have developed of the world's smallest and lowest noise radio frequency transistors for low noise amplifier (LNA) applications. Based on the company's advanced silicon germanium (SiGe) technology, Toshiba's new MT4S102T and MT4S104T microwave transistors are ideal for LNA designs in applications such as wireless LANs and global positioning systems (GPS).
* Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/tos/192/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tos/tos192.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tos1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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2. 5V-tolerant analogue switch aids USB flexibility
The NLAS2066 is billed as the industry's first overvoltage-tolerant analogue switch. This innovative device permits input lines, output lines and USB lines to be shared on the same connector pins, thus reducing the size and lowering the costs for handheld products such as smart cellphones, PDAs, digital still cameras, digital video cameras and MP3 players. The NLAS2066 is a dual single-pole/single-throw (SPST) switch.
* Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/onw/124/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/onw/onw124.html
or send a blank email to mailto:onw1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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3. Power injectors comply with IEEE802.3af
The PW130 power sourcing equipment (PSE) is designed specifically to power next-generation IP telephony and power-over-LAN applications. This new single-port, power-over-Ethernet midspan PSE provides power through integral RJ45 jacks as well as data in accordance with IEEE802.3af guidelines over a single Cat5 Ethernet cable. IEEE802.3af is commonly referred to as power over Ethernet. It defines a way to build Ethernet power-sourcing equipment and powered terminals.
* Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/axg/101/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/axg/axg101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:axg1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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4. PC-based tester exploits High-Speed USB link
The USBee ZX digital test pod is a high-performance USB High-Speed based pod that provides an assortment of digital test and control functions, such as logic analyser, signal generator, data logger, frequency counter, frequency generator, async serial controller and monitor, pulse counter, PWM controller and remote controller functions, all in one compact and easy to use unit. Also included is the USBee ZX Tool Builder software that allows the creation of custom test tools using Visual Basic or C++.
* Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/cwa/103/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cwa/cwa103.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cwa1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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5. Gigabit Ethernet transceiver integrates four ports
A new highly integrated quad Gigabit Ethernet physical layer (PHY) transceiver aims for multiport small office/home office (SOHO) switches, high density enterprise switches and router applications. This new single-chip PHY leverages an on-chip microcontroller, providing the Gigabit Ethernet market with both flexible feature support and protection against future system requirement changes.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/nat/nat250.html
or send a blank email to mailto:nat2[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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6. Budget route to C-based system-level design
A new C synthesis tool package provides a low-cost entry point into C-based system-level design. The PDP platform developer's package allows engineers to target C algorithms to off-the-shelf development boards or evaluate C-based design methodologies. PDP provides cycle-accurate design simulation and C-based synthesis to FPGA logic and is an entry-level version of Celoxica's DK design suite of system design tools. PDP also includes a board support package for targeting designs to one of several supported development boards.
* Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/cel/147/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cel/cel147.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cel1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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7. CompactPCI board hosts 32 million FPGA gates
The Heron HECPCI9 6U CompactPCI board offers developers an impressive 32M gates of Virtex-II FPGA resource in a single cPCI slot. It targets computationally intensive real-time applications, such as software defined radios (SDR), industrial imaging, automation and sonar. The modular hardware architecture of the HECPCI9 provides four Heron module slots for adding FPGA as well as DSP and I/O resources.
* Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/taq/108/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/taq/taq108.html
or send a blank email to mailto:taq1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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8. Audio amp IC pumps up the volume
The TPA6211A1 audio amplifier offers over 340mW of power per square millimetre, which is the highest output power Class-AB audio power amplifier for its size in the market. It is capable of delivering 3.1W of power into a 3ohm load at 10% total harmonic distortion.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tex/tex511.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tex5[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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9. Budget entry to PCB CAD
Circuit Creator Standard is a Windows XP compatible electronics CAD software package for hobbyists and small companies. The software includes schematic capture and PCB layout editor. The software comes with a 400-page instructional book, "Electronic CAD made easy using Circuit Creator". This fourth-generation software from AMS includes printed circuit board layout editor, schematic design and capture software with built-in symbol editor.
* Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/adm/100/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/adm/adm100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:adm1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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10. Adapters add flexibility to PC Card slots
Elan has a range of low-cost universal PC Card adapters capable of working not only with a wide range of Bluetooth and WiFi networking cards but also the latest Flash storage cards for digital cameras and media players. One of the most versatile units, the Elan P423 adapter, has twin slots allowing front access to two 16bit-compliant PCMCIA slots, meaning that the downloading and sending of image or data files can all be done through this one unit.
* Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/ean/101/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ean/ean101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ean1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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New Technical Articles and Case Studies
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AUTOMOTIVE SPEC FPGAs SPEED SYSTEMS TO MARKET
(Actel Europe, 24 September 2003)
Valeo's Electronics and Connective Systems Division uses Actel eX FPGAs to refine research and development programmes, enable advanced concepts and ultimately shorten time to production.
* Free brochure on eX FPGAs:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/act/153/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/act/act153.html
(or email mailto:act1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
DIGITAL SIGNAL CONTROLLER POWERS INERTIAL SENSOR
(Texas Instruments, 25 September 2003)
BEI Systron Donner Inertial Division has used TI's TMS320F2812 digital signal controller in its micro-electromechanical systems inertial measurement unit, the MMQ-50.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tex/tex508.html
(or email mailto:tex5[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
PROGRAMMING SOLUTION DELIVERED IN THREE WEEKS
(Sedo Systems, 29 September 2003)
Sedo Systems has answered an urgent requirement from Irish subcontract programmer Programming Solutions to program the Fujitsu MB84VD21183EM.
* Free brochure on Programmers:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/sdo/103/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sdo/sdo103.html
(or email mailto:sdo1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
RADIO MODULES ENABLE LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM
(Radiometrix, 24 September 2003)
Radio datalink modules from Radiometrix are at the heart of the world's first fully wire-free addressable lighting control system.
* Free brochure on TX2/RX2:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/rio/108/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rio/rio108.html
(or email mailto:rio1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
BGA INSPECTION DEMANDS A CLOSER LOOK
(Blundell Production Equipment, 29 September 2003)
Paul Cooper, Product Manager at Blundell Production Equipment, explains why visual inspection is preferable to X-ray analysis in evaluating BGA joints.
* Free brochure on Ersascope:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/bun/110/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/bun/bun110.html
(or email mailto:bun1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
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...And take a look at these stories too...
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POWER AMP CUTS DOWN ANTENNA MISMATCHING
(SiGe Semiconductor, 24 September 2003)
The RangeCharger SE2525L is heralded as the industry's highest performance power amplifier compliant with 802.11b and 802.11g specifications.
* Free brochure on RangeCharger SE2525L:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/sif/145/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sif/sif145.html
(or email mailto:sif1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
PROGRAMMABLE CLOCK GENERATORS AID EMI CONTROL
(Cypress Semiconductor, 24 September 2003)
The CY25100SC and CY25100ZC are the industry's first field programmable spread spectrum clock generators.
* Free brochure on CY25100SC and CY25100ZC:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/cyp/206/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cyp/cyp206.html
(or email mailto:cyp2[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
SERDES PROVIDES AN EXTRA COUPLE OF BITS
(National Semiconductor, 25 September 2003)
The industry's first LVDS 18bit serialiser/deserialiser (serdes) is designed to simplify the design of communication systems and drive down engineering costs.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/nat/nat249.html
(or email mailto:nat2[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
ANALOGUE GURUS HIT THE ROAD IN EUROPE
(National Semiconductor, 29 September 2003)
National Semiconductor will go on tour this autumn to share its latest analogue technology and design tools at 19 live seminars in Europe and Israel.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/nat/nat251.html
(or email mailto:nat2[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
NEW NAME FOR POWERPC HOST BRIDGE PRODUCT LINE
(Tundra Semiconductor, 29 September 2003)
Tundra Semiconductor has agreed to purchase Motorola's PowerPC host bridge product line (the MPC106 and the MPC107).
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tun/tun114.html
(or email mailto:tun1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
CHIP RESISTORS GO TO EXTREMES
(Rohm Electronics (UK), 29 September 2003)
A new range of low ohmic thick-film chip resistors offer power ratings of between 0.25 and 1.0W and are available in five sizes ranging from 2512 down to just 0805.
* Free brochure on MCR10/18/25/50/100 resistors:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/roh/159/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/roh/roh159.html
(or email mailto:roh1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
EASY APPLICATION FOR RAIL-MOUNTING RELAY
(Matsushita Electric Works UK, 30 September 2003)
The HN series of DIN-rail-mounting power relays are aimed at a wide range of applications where simplicity and ease of integration are paramount.
* Free brochure on HN series:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/mat/145/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mat/mat145.html
(or email mailto:mat1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
TOOLS SPEED CREATION OF CUSTOM LINUX PRODUCTS
(Metrowerks Europe, 24 September 2003)
The Platform Creation Suite Version 3.0 for Linux OS provides enhanced access to the growing spectrum of open source technology available for the creation of embedded Linux OS devices.
* Free brochure on PCS Version 3.0 for Linux OS:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/mtr/139/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mtr/mtr139.html
(or email mailto:mtr1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
IP VERIFIES PCI EXPRESS DESIGNS
(GDA Technologies, 24 September 2003)
GDA Technologies has enhanced its PCI Express IP family by offering PCI-Xactor from Avery Design Systems.
* Free brochure on PCI-Xactor:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/gda/102/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/gda/gda102.html
(or email mailto:gda1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
VERIFICATION PLATFORM GAINS MIXED-SIGNAL SIMULATOR
(Synopsys, 25 September 2003)
Discovery AMS is a new and comprehensive simulation solution claimed to deliver significant productivity improvements for analogue and mixed-signal verification.
* Free brochure on Discovery AMS:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/syn/201/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/syn/syn201.html
(or email mailto:syn2[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
EASY ACCESS TO ELECTROMAGNETIC DESIGN
(Cedrat, 26 September 2003)
Flux Version 8 is the latest release of the software package from Cedrat for the analysis of electromagnetic and thermal devices.
* Free brochure on Flux Version 8:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/ced/101/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ced/ced101.html
(or email mailto:ced1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
FAULT-TOLERANT RTOS FOR SAFETY-CRITICAL SYSTEMS
(BAE Systems Aerospace Controls, 29 September 2003)
BAE Systems has unveiled its second-generation CsLEOS real-time operating system.
* Free brochure on CsLEOS:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/bae/100/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/bae/bae100.html
(or email mailto:bae1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
PIEZO SWITCHES GET INTO (NEW) SHAPE
(Schurter Input Systems, 25 September 2003)
To allow greater flexibility in front panel designs, Schurter now offers a range of piezo switches with variable housing shapes.
* Free brochure on PSE-M16 housing shapes:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/shu/107/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/shu/shu107.html
(or email mailto:shu1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
SOCKET PUTS CSPs AND uBGAs TO THE TEST
(Aries Electronics, 26 September 2003)
A new CSP/uBGA test and burn-in socket can handle devices from 14 to 27mm2, in applications under 1GHz.
* Free brochure on CSP/uBGA test and burn-in socket:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/aie/122/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/aie/aie122.html
(or email mailto:aie1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
TRANSCEIVERS TACKLE 4GBIT FIBRE CHANNEL
(Infineon Technologies, 25 September 2003)
Infineon Technologies has released a new 4Gbit Fibre Channel (4GFC) transceiver in a small form factor pluggable module with digital diagnostics.
* Free brochure on 4GFC transceivers:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/ifi/103/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ifi/ifi103.html
(or email mailto:ifi1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
HALF BRICKS AIM FOR HIGH-CURRENT APPLICATIONS
(SynQor Europe, 25 September 2003)
A new line of high-current high-efficiency half-brick DC/DC convertors can deliver up to 100A output current in a single-board open-frame package.
* Free brochure on Peta series:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/syb/113/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/syb/syb113.html
(or email mailto:syb1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
TOP PERFORMANCE FOR PENTIUM M-BASED SBC
(Performance Technologies, 30 September 2003)
The IPnexus CPC5702 is the newest and most powerful member in the family of Intel-based single board computers from Performance Technologies.
* Free brochure on IPnexus CPC5702:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/pfo/105/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pfo/pfo105.html
(or email mailto:pfo1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
OPTERON BOARD THUNDERS INTO SERVER APPLICATIONS
(Tyan Computer, 30 September 2003)
The Thunder K8S Pro (S2882) is an AMD Opteron based platform for 1 and 2U server applications.
* Free brochure on Thunder K8S Pro (S2882):
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/tnc/102/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tnc/tnc102.html
(or email mailto:tnc1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
HIGH BANDWIDTH FOR 14BIT ACQUISITION BOARDS
(Spectrum Systementwicklung Microelectronic, 24 September 2003)
The new MI.40xx series of data acquisition boards from Spectrum are an ideal solution for measurement tasks that demand both high speed and high resolution.
* Free brochure on MI.40xx series:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/sct/100/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sct/sct100.html
(or email mailto:sct1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
POWER QUALITY ANALYSER COMES WITH FREE TEST TOOLS
(Fluke (UK), 29 September 2003)
Fluke is now offering free test tools with its power quality analyser package.
* Free brochure on Power quality analyser package:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/flu/147/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/flu/flu147.html
(or email mailto:flu1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
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Engineering vacancies on the internet
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There are many recruitment websites out there, but Electronicstalk can recommend the following as we have had a relationship with them for some time:
Engineers Online: http://www.engineers-online.co.uk/
GoJobsite: http://www.gojobsite.co.uk/
Jimfinder.com: http://www.jimfinder.com/
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Browse the Electronicstalk archive by email!
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There are hundreds of recent stories in the Electronicstalk database, and you can browse them all by email. Send a blank email to:
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